Communications (Comms)

Troubleshooting Protocols

While the Comms Team is NOT authorized to make decisions about how to handle any special situations, they can provide some first steps to help with some frequently encountered issues. If a problem escalates beyond what is addressed below or in the Tech Troubleshooting Guide, the question will require guidance from the Comms Lead.  

In Competition Rooms

• Interfere as little as possible. If judges or competitors seem to be handling a situation well, allow them to work through the process. 
• When you must speak to the participants in a room, always be sure to begin by identifying yourself by first name and as a member of the tournament communications staff.  
• Do not stop a competitor’s speech, even if you see a problem, unless you have clear, special instructions from the Comms Lead to do so.

Missing, Late, or Dropped Competitors

• Speech
  • If judges report a no-show speech competitor, tell them to select the Did Not Compete button on the ballot for that competitor. 
  • A late competitor who chooses to speak in what remains of their time slot must stop at the beginning of the next competitor’s time (or the end of their 15-minute slot for the last in the room).  
• Debate—If a judge reports a missing debate competitor during a round, alert the Comms lead immediately and prepare to monitor the situation. Add a timestamp update on the Comms/JCT Rooms Tracker worksheet, which allows the lead to know how long the competitor has been missing.

Rule & Ballot Questions

If room participants have a rule question or a question about how to handle a situation on a ballot, DO NOT answer the question, even if you feel sure you know the answer (except regarding how to handle a competitor unable to compete).  Use the following strategies as needed to move the round along.

• If they are concerned about what to fill in for a time, encourage them to reference the head judge instructions and use the option on the ballot to report a timing error, they can ask at the end for clarification.
• Encourage them to consult the rule documents in the resource box available in the room and use their best judgment to proceed. 
• Remind them that they will be able to use the “Contact” button on their dashboard at the end of the round to discuss any unresolved questions. 
• Report what you know of the situation to the Communications Lead.

Confusion Over Head Judge Designation

Designated Head Judges should refer to the Speech Head Judge Guide in Resources. If they have other questions or concerns, please direct them to the Contact button. If it is causing a potential delay, please notify the Communications Lead.  

Judge Tech Issues

Comms team members should do what they can to help resolve tech issues for judges using the Device and Tech Guide. If the problems appear to be significant, alert the Comms lead immediately. Please follow the 2024 Judge Tech Troubleshooting Checklist Comms/JCT

• For a judge that can not speak but can hear, suggest letting them use thumbs-up and -down as a way to communicate and proceed with the round.
• For a judge having connection difficulties, sometimes it helps to have the judge proceed with his or her own camera turned off. Comms Team members may suggest this option. 
• DO NOT suggest steps that involve having other participants in the room take actions like leaving the room and returning or turning their cameras off unless the Comms Lead has given clear permission to issue that guidance. 
• If a judge shows up in the Attendee List but not in a judge window, the round may proceed if we can verify that the judge can see, hear, speak, and access his or her ballots. 
  • Note: there are times a judge can not speak, but can hear and see. This will be allowed. Please notate on tracker
• If a judge’s technical issues are significant and time-consuming enough that a speaker is not able to speak in a scheduled slot, the Comms Lead will give instructions regarding what to communicate to the competitor. 
  • DO NOT make an assumption about how the situation will be handled.  
  • In the event that clear guidance does not come from the Comms Lead in time for the end of a slot, tell the competitor to let their designated parent/adult know to watch for a text with instructions. Make sure the Comms Lead knows that the student still needs instruction.

Speech Round Competitor Tech Issues

Competitors in speech rounds must resolve any of their own technology issues during their assigned speaking slot. They must stop and turn off their camera and microphone when their specified time slot ends. 

• If a competitor is having persistent trouble, it may be appropriate to kindly remind the judges of the need to keep the round moving. You may explain as follows: 

“Competitor technical difficulties are accommodated for by allowing 15 min slots, and unfortunately, competitors cannot be given any further accommodation in the round unless they are granted special permission from Tournament Administration.” 

• If necessary, assure judges that the situation will be handled in a way that is fair for all competitors. 
• Competitors who feel some sort of accommodation is justified may have a parent help them contact Tournament Administration after leaving the room. Comms staff may mention this to the competitor as an option but should not encourage it.
• Comms team members may offer the “In-Round” troubleshooting steps listed in the Technology Troubleshooting Guide, ONLY IF time allows AND ONLY if the competitor seems to want input. 
  • Be very careful not to override the competitor’s own judgment regarding how to resolve the situation.
  • DO NOT suggest time consuming solutions like rebooting a computer or changing locations, but we may suggest that the competitor try leaving the room and returning.
  • DO NOT suggest that other participants take particular actions like turning off cameras or exiting and returning unless the Comms Lead has given clear instruction to try these steps. 
  • DO NOT let tech troubleshooting for competitors interfere with other room checks and duties. 

Debate Round Competitor Tech Issues

The Communications Lead will communicate guidance on how much time to allow for the competitor(s) to resolve issues. If an issue begins in the middle of a round, find out approximately when the problem started with how long it has been; thus, a continual updated timestamp on the Comms/JCT Rooms Tracker worksheet.

Mixture of Competitor and Judge Tech Issues

Situations that involve both a judge’s tech problem and a competitor’s tech problem will require relaying very clear and detailed information to the Comms Lead. 

• DO NOT offer speculation or any guidance on how the situation will be handled. The Comms lead will give instructions. 
• If instructions do not come before the end of a speaking slot, direct the competitor to contact Tournament Administration. The “General Questions” option is best if the competitor’s designated adult is judging and unable to help contact compliance. Be sure that the Comms Lead knows what instructions were conveyed to the competitor.

Comms Team Member Tech Issues

Members of the Comms Staff will usually need to take some additional steps to deal with the heavy load of information flowing through their devices. For team members who begin to have trouble, it may be best to take some of these steps preemptively during slow times. Be sure that you are familiar with how to complete the following troubleshooting steps.

• Lag Entering Rooms or Not Seeing Everything in a Room
  • Try exiting the platform and returning.
  • Clear the cache for your browser. (Chrome Instructions)
  • Restart your computer.
  • At the end of every day, restart all devices and clear cache.

• Phone not sending or receiving texts in a timely manner 
  • Try closing and reopening your texting app and/or rebooting your phone
  • If you have unlimited data, try turning off Wifi to the phone. 
  • Place the phone in airplane mode for a few minutes so that it will reset its connection with the service tower.
  • Google specific solutions for your phone model and cell service provider.
  • Text individually with the Comms lead rather than using the group text(s) when your texts are delayed.
  • Turn phone off at the end of each day to reset.

• Comms/JCT trackersheet Issues
  • Unable to edit box: Place your cursor on your name in between typing so that everyone can type in needed boxes.
  • Closing rooms: Remember to scroll all the way to the right of the sheet to mark rooms finished.